<h4>Chapter 366: War of Empires</h4>
After the officials of the Dazheng Empire were appointed, Xiao Nanfeng strode off the altar and into the Xuanhuang Hall.
The officials followed him in.
The Xuanhuang Hall was particrlyrge and grand in scope, with carved railings, painted balustrades, and pirs in the form of coiling dragons. At the north of the hall was ced a draconic throne. Beneath the throne was a draconic vein; above, the cloud of fortune that hovered above the empire. The throne marked the heart of the Dazheng Empire proper, its seat of honor. Xiao Nanfeng slowly sat down.
"We greet Your Majesty!" the officials chorused, bowing.
"Rise," Xiao Nanfeng said.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The court officials stood on either side of the hall, all looking toward Xiao Nanfeng.
"State all petitions now pending dismissal of court!" the minister of rites called out.
This was the first session of court after the establishment of the empire, and it certainly couldn''t be dismissed so quickly. Ye Sanshui, forewarned, was the first to step forward.
"Your Majesty, the Dazheng Empire has undergone countless struggles in its ascension. Tianshu Immortals attacked our borders and harmed our people. Then, their spirits attempted to prevent the transntation of draconic veins into the heart of the Dazheng Empire in hopes of dying or forestalling our ascension. The Tianshu Emperor, Nn Qiankun, personally came to Yongding in an attempt to assassinate Your Majesty. The vile Tianshu Empire is a den of iniquity, and it has made clear its desire to eradicate us. Your Majesty, I hereby petition to wage war against the malignant Tianshu to preserve the peace of Dazheng and excise the evil from our borders!" Ye Sanshui''s tone was resonant and stentorian.
"Your Majesty, we petition to wage war against the malignant Tianshu to take revenge and safeguard our people!" the generals chorused.
"Your Majesty, we petition to wage war against the malignant Tianshu to take revenge and safeguard our people!" the civil officials likewise chorused.
The petition stoked the fighting spirits of all the officials of the court.
Naturally, this petition had been nned in advance. The demonstration now only served to cast their incursion in a righteous light.
"I approve this petition," Xiao Nanfeng dered. "All forces not responsible for municipal defenses shall form a brigade against evil. Marquis Ye Sanshui shall lead this brigade asmander-in-chief, and Marquis Ye Dafu as his general. Marquis Zheng Qian shall serve as chief administrator for the brigade, dealing with matters pursuant to supply and logistics. I dere war against the malignant Tianshu."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ye Sanshui, Ye Dafu, and Zheng Qian replied simultaneously.
Then, Xiao Nanfeng continued to assign generals to the brigade. The first session of court of the Dazheng Empire brimmed with fighting spirit.
Dayster, with the brigade against Tianshu formed, the Dazheng forces began to attack the Tianshu Empire in earnest.
Of the two empires, Tianshu and Dazheng, only one could and would survive.
In the imperial study of Tianshu at Beidou, Nn Qiankun sat at his writing desk as he reviewed reports from the frontline. His face was set in a frown, and anger palpably radiated from him.
A white-robed man sat before him, coughing into a handkerchief intermittently.
"A brigade against evil? Xiao Nanfeng really doesn''t know what''s good for him. If I hadn''t spared his life, would he have been able to establish an empire? He dares dere me evil?" Nn Qiankun''s face was dark.
"Your Majesty, the Dazheng Empire controls only 40% of the Eastern Sea, whereas the Tianshu Empiremands 60%. In terms of military might, they''re weaker than we are and have fewer Immortals besides. However, Xiao Nanfeng is no easy foe, and many Immortal sects do favor him for some reason. Ahem!" The white-robed man coughed again.
"Mr. Wen, do you think that he can withstand the forces of the Tianshu Empire?" Nn Qiankun frowned.
"His military strength and imperial strength are subordinate to ours, but he has four other strengths that particrly favor him," Mr. Wen replied.
"Oh? Which four strengths?" Nn Qiankun seemed a little ufortable.
"A fight between empires values righteousness above all. Whoever stands on the moral high ground can unite its people. Xiao Nanfeng is clearly a strict adherent to morality and ethics. His deration of evil has spread throughout thend, and he is invoking those ethical considerations against you. In his deration of kingship, he enumerated your failings, sins, and crimes against morality. In terms of ethics, he is the clear winner: his first strength.
"Next, the Dazheng Empire rose far too quickly. Its administration is incredibly organized, with clearws and regtions, generous rewards for merit, and harsh punishments for crimes. It hasid an excellent foundation for the future. If I''m not mistaken, even though the Immortal sects across the Eastern Sea know that it''s toote to be joining the Dazheng Empire now, they''re still willing to win merit for themselves under its rigorous guidelines: his second strength.
"What''s more, a few days ago, you fought personally against Xiao Nanfeng, Your Majesty. Although victory was indeterminate, you were ultimately the one who retreated. This dramatically damaged your reputation, and those unaware of the situation will think that you''ve lost. As a result, they''ll bet on Xiao Nanfeng and allow him to garner more support. Like a snowball, he will only gather more and more momentum: his third strength.
"Finally, and most importantly, Xiao Nanfeng has the support of themon people. He''s particrly adept at winning the hearts of the people, and his cities prioritize the good of themons. As word of themon people''s living conditions spread throughout the Eastern Sea, the people of the Tianshu Empire will start to waver. This disease of the heart is impossible to eradicate—for the people to want to be invaded is a lethal threat: his fourth strength."
Nn Qiankun''s gaze was stony. After a pregnant pause, he finally said, "Mr. Wen, your analysis deeply difits me, but only you would tell me the truth and summarize things so clearly."
"It''s precisely because you''re willing to listen to my suggestions that I dare to speak, Your Majesty. In the short term, the Dazheng brigade will be on the losing end of things, but dragging this war out will only advantage them. To be frank, without exceptional forces, strategy, or circumstance, the Tianshu Empire will be in dire straits," Mr. Wen said seriously.
Nn Qiankun paused for a moment before he smiled confidently. "Worry not. Exceptional circumstances will arise."
"Oh?" Mr. Wen asked curiously.
"I shall soon ascend into an Earth Immortal. With an Earth Immortal''s body and the Spirit Emperor''s peerless treasure in my possession, no one shall be a match for me. As long as I kill Xiao Nanfeng and leave the Dazheng Empire without a leader, even the strongest forces will copse," Nn Qiankun said confidently.
Mr. Wen nodded, his features shifting imperceptibly. "Precisely, Your Majesty. Against absolute strength, even Dazheng''s advantages will fall short."
"Mr. Wen, you are a skilled tactician and strategist. Before I ascend into an Earth Immortal, please continue lending your assistance with regards to battlefield nning," Nn Qiankun said seriously.
Rather than allow Mr. Wen an official position, he only requested that Mr. Wene up with ns, as though he were on guard against him.
"I will do my best, Your Majesty. However, my mdy has worsened recently. Your Majesty, you promised me that you would allow me to treat my mdy with the Spirit Emperor''s peerless treasure once you acquired it. Might I ask if..." Mr. Wen trailed off, looking at Nn Qiankun expectantly.
Nn Qiankun frowned briefly, but wiped that emotion away almost as quickly as it had appeared. Then, he smiled. "Mr. Wen, please don''t worry. I am a man of my word. I ask that you bear with it for a little while longer until I ascend into an Earth Immortal."
He stared at Mr. Wen, wanting to ascertain his attitude.
Mr. Wen, however, only rxed and exhaled. "Excellent, Your Majesty. I''ve had this mdy for many years, and I can bear with it a little while longer."
"Very good. I was worried it might be urgent." Nn Qiankun smiled.
"Your Majesty, I urge you to be careful in this war against the Dazheng Empire," Mr. Wen said seriously.
"Oh?" Nn Qiankun sounded perplexed.
"The Dazheng Empire boasts incredible momentum at present. You must be wary of the possibility that your frontline troops might be subverted, Your Majesty. In addition, you must guard against his assassins. He has a group of skilled assassins in his employ," Mr. Wen emphasized.
Nn Qiankun frowned. He too had his own intelligencework, and he was aware of the presence of these so-called spectral guards. The leader of the spectral guards had been seen often recently, and was known to be particrly dangerous.
"Thank you for your reminder, Mr. Wen. I''ll be careful," Nn Qiankun said.
"It''s nothing, Your Majesty. I can only provide verbal guidance." Mr. Wen smiled.
Half a monthter, within Xiao Nanfeng''s study in Yuanding, a man offered Xiao Nanfeng a portrait.
"Division Leader Xiao, ever since you handed us a portrait of this Mr. Wen over half a year ago, we ckguards have been investigating him. His origins are mysterious; it''s almost as if he has appeared out of thin air. We''ve bought information from countless organizations worldwide, past and present, and finally obtained some information of relevance. We found the identity of a man very much like Mr. Wen, but we can''t confirm that they''re one and the same," the ckguard reported.
"Oh?"
"There was a Mr. Wen from a century ago whose features and body shape are known to be much like this Mr. Wen. However, his facial contours are a bit different. That Mr. Wen was once a strategist associated with a crown prince of some divine empire. He was skilled and particrly intelligent, especially when it came to malicious and deceitful ns. He attempted to help that crown prince seize the throne and came just one step away from sess. In the end, the crown prince was too weak to bring the n to fruition, but that Mr. Wen managed to destroy the divine empire with barely any cost whatsoever. Though his ns boast incredible sess, they cause great destruction and evil. The righteous disparaged him for being shameless and cold-blooded, while the ambitious and ruthless sought him out. Later on, one of his enemies apparently took revenge and killed him; he was then forgotten by the world. Unexpectedly, a Mr. Wen then reappeared in the Tianshu Empire. Except for some differences in facial features, he appears near-identical to the past Mr. Wen, but we haven''t been able to conclusively determine the rtionship between them. Here are the details on the past Mr. Wen." The ckguard handed Xiao Nanfeng a packet of information.
"My thanks." Xiao Nanfeng nodded.
"It is our responsibility, Division Leader Xiao. If there''s nothing else, allow me to bid you farewell," the ckguard replied.
Xiao Nanfeng nodded.
After seeing the ckguard off, rather than look through the packet of information, Xiao Nanfeng retrieved a letter from within a stack of documents: "Xiao Nanfeng, as a favor to Xiao Hongye, I''ll help you take down the Tianshu Empire at minimal cost to you. Once you seed, I wish to receive the Spirit Emperor''s peerless treasure that Xiang Shaoyang possessed as payment."
The letter was unsigned and of mysterious origin. He didn''t know how it had ended up within a pile of battlefield reports. The letter had been noted by messengers along the way, but no one dared to discard or otherwise manipte it. As a result, it had ended up in Xiao Nanfeng''s hands.
For some reason, despite the fact that the letter was unsigned, Xiao Nanfeng couldn''t help but think of the mysterious Mr. Wen.